Part 2 of day 4019

The second half of day 4019. 

After finishing the stairs we stopped at the care right where we had parked.  It felt great to sit down, cool off, and eat food.  We even scored some free water to refill our water bottles.  Thank You!!

Our next stop was Hollywood Bullyvard.  (Yes, I realized that is not the official correct spelling however, that is now how I spell it.)

Since it isn't spelled out on the sign either, I call it fair.

I wasn't too sure how the parking situation would be.  We totally lucked out with our parking at the stairs, but otherwise it had been pricey, and scarce.  Thankfully there was a lot that didn't bankrupt us.

We headed out to see the stars.

It was never discussed any particular names we had to find, or if we would walk across every one.  Keep in mind, we had just walked a ridiculous amount of stairs.

One of the first stars we came to was one that made me say, "Oh ya.. I'd almost forgot that he was a real person."  You see.. in the town that we both grew up in, the main road was Andy Devine Ave.  As a little kid I learned the name of the road, not the history behind it's name.  That didn't come until years later.

This should be how the street signs back home look.
 

As we continued on you could tell that we are very much alike.  We would point out a name to each other, and it was usually said about a second...or less... apart.

There were quite a few we stopped and took pictures of.  Some I took were to share with my family.  Names my husband talks about, or actors from some of his favourite shows.  The same for my daughter...and my cat.

Yes.. my cat.  You see, we adopted this adorable white cat back at the end of June.  Her name, Gypsy, came with her.  My daughter decided that her full name (yes... my cats have middle names, how else are they supposed to know when they are in trouble) should be Gypsy Rose Lee.  My daughter is a theater major and an upcoming performance she'll be assisting with is "Gypsy", a stage musical made from the 1957 memoir of Gypsy Rose Lee.

Not every cat can say they have a Hollywood star.
 

We kept walking and randomly taking pictures of stars. 

I'm sure I could think of something about six degrees here, but my math brain is exhausted.

Rest in peace, dear Robin.  You are one of the greats.

Growing up I always had a teddy bear with me, specifically a Winnie the Pooh bear.  In fact, stored in a secure location away from damaging elements is the second Pooh Bear I was ever given.  Had I returned home without a picture of Pooh's star I think my husband would have sent out a search party to find his real wife.

It's like it was there just for me.

One of the best things about not having a time schedule is being able to do anything we wanted to on a whim. 

We did have to escape the sales pitch of a guy selling a tour to stars homes, twice.  He followed us.

We stopped at the Chinese Theater and looked at all the signatures and feet and hand prints of some stars.

This did continue on with Jenna's undeclared goal of getting a picture of everything Tom Hanks.

We found Tom Hanks' star.
 

She stood in his feet.

She even got to share a piece of chocolate with him.

As you can see, we also visited the wax museum.  I had quite a bit of fun standing next to the figures.  I will admit, a lot of them are creepy real. 

After exiting the wax museum we encountered some street actors.  Now, I'm not sure what it is about Zorro, but the last time I was walking down a major street like this, and there were street actors, I also encountered Zorro.

Not quite Antonio Banderas, but Zorro none-the-less.

Jenna was privileged to tap into her super power Spidey Sense.

Invisible web.

This Spiderman actually cracked me up.  Here we are on Holly Bullyvard totally crowded with people and I believe he was a germaphobe.  These street actors accept tips and as Jenna was getting cash out she had to hold the bill in her teeth while she put other things back.  Spidey freaked out.  He said, "Ewww.. don't do that!  Don't don't don't do that."  He then took the bill by the very corner and shook it.  I couldn't understand how someone who is grossed out by germs could work in close contact with total strangers.  Then it dawned on me.  He was in a full body suit; no actual contact.  Nice move Spidey, nice move.

By the end of our walk across the stars we had walked across EVERY star possible.  There was one section that was under repair so we didn't see those names, but we walked across every other one, even the very beginning of the Walk of Fame.  I'm sure there were times we sounded funny.  Every time we stepped off the curb we moaned or ouched and laughed.  We were quite the pair.

The symbols in the middle of each star finally made sense.

You would think that we would have had enough walking for the day by this point.

We didn't.

After returning to our room and resting for a little while, it was time for dinner.  So we grabbed a few things... including our soda bottles... and headed down to the Santa Monica Pier.

This was when Jenna's Type Awesome status was put to the test, and proven. 

The pier was about a mile and a half from our room.  It was after 8:30 and was dark.  We were not quite half way there when I didn't feel too good.  Before we left the room my blood sugar was on the lower end, but pretty steady.  To prepare for the walk I ate two fig cookies (20g of carbs each) before heading out.  I normally wouldn't have done that much, but we had already walked so much, and I knew that exercise would catch up with me.

It did.

I wasn't feeling well and I told Jenna.  We looked at my CGM and I was in the 70's with a downward slanted arrow.  That means my blood sugar was dropping.  I immediately reduced my basal to 0 (basically turned it off) for 30 minutes and we kept going.  I knew I would be okay, the cookies hadn't hit yet.  She didn't know I would be okay.  Remember those skittles that I had been carrying in my pocket?  We didn't.  They were back at the room on the table.  That's when she felt like she had failed.  It was her job to be me for the day, and she felt she had failed by leaving the snacks behind.  In fact, leaving the snacks behind made the situation more real.  How many times have we left home without enough snacks? I've done it more times than I can count.  You'd think after so many years we'd learn.  Nope.  All we have learned is to keep snack stashes everywhere; in the car, at work, in each room of the house, etc.  That doesn't help when you're not driving or at home. 

I kept reassuring her that I would be just fine, and reminded her that the cookies hadn't hit yet.  She still worried.  We didn't sit down because I didn't want to, I just wanted to get to the pier.  She worried.  We kept talking and laughing about the stupid skittles.  She kept checking the CGM and worried. 

We made it to the pier and found a place to eat.  By this time, my blood sugars had stabilized and were no longer dropping.  I had settled at a more comfortable 110ish range.  Jenna was feeling more relaxed, and her fingers stopped fidgeting.  I had a very tasty cheeseburger and fries, and she had a chicken sandwich.  We walked through the carnival area and had to laugh at the street sign we saw.

We can never escape Route 66.

Route 66 goes through our home town.  We see memorabilia everywhere.  So to see it while we were on vacation was just hilarious.

We didn't ride any of the rides, it had been a long enough day as it was and we were ready to call it.  A picture of the ferris wheel and we headed back for some much needed sleep.

Next time, ferris wheel, next time.

The walk back to the room seemed a lot shorter than the walk to the pier.  We kicked our shoes off and laid down.  Curious as to exactly how many steps I had taken, and how far I had walked, I looked at the status screen for my FitBit.  I was about two hundreths of a mile away from a perfectly even mileage distance, so I stood up and paced the room.  Yes, I actually did that.  Two trips from side to side and it clicked over the even mile.  I was happy.  I was exhausted.  And I was done.

I hadn't logged my water intake, but it was well over 72 ounces for the day.

That was a wrap of day 4019.  Jenna did an awesome job of being me.  She didn't kill me.  She asked questions.  She didn't judge.  And I believe she came away from it with a bit of new insight to what a day in the life of a person with Type 1 diabetes is like.

Thank you Jenna.

My birthday trip wasn't over yet.  We still had a day and a half before we had to be home.  An educating moment, a safari, and some interesting coffee.



So excited about the stairs! AKA: Day 4019

Saturday was our busiest day.  The recap will be broken into a couple posts so as to not be excessively long.  There are quite a few pictures here, and I didn't even post all I took.
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The second day of my birthday weekend started out fantastically!

Even though our exercise competition for September was already decided, we still got our walk/run in.  This time, however, it was on the beach.  Early Saturday morning, 7am-ish to be exact, we headed out and enjoyed the peacefulness of a morning beach walk.

Couldn't have asked for a better morning.

As with all vacations and trips away from home, you should always be friendly and meet new people...or animals.  Sometimes those animals are real, and sometimes they will squirt water.

Isn't he cute?  He now resides on my shelf at work.

For 90 minutes I walked and listened and watched.  I walked a total of 3.69 miles.  I listened to quite a few chapters in my book.  I watched all the people.  There were small children dragging their parents into the water.  There were surfers waiting for the perfect wave.  There were military men running in full gear.. soaking wet.  People watching is so much fun.

After our walk/run we headed back to the room to get changed for the rest of the day's adventures.

Once cleaned and relatively sand free, it was time to hand over my diabetes management.  We had agreed weeks prior that on my birthday Jenna would manage everything for me.  She did quite a bit of homework prior to our trip and felt confident that she wouldn't kill me (I did promise her that I wouldn't let her kill us, so that was good too).  She also calculated how many days it had been since my diagnosis...4019.  Holy cow!  Anyways, while she was studying and calculating days I was planning and arranging so that I would need a complete insulin pump site change on that day.

Ahhh... a fresh site.

She did great!  It didn't hurt and she learned a little more about my specific pump.  Win Win.  I handed her my Dexcom, she made sure we had the bag of Skittles, and we headed out.

Hollywood!!  Here we come!!

So what do you think the first thing we did was?  Something touristy, yes, but not traditional.  Why be normal, right?  Find something different, unique, and totally story worthy.

Stairs.

Jenna not only researched diabetes, but also fun free stuff to do in Hollywood.  She came across a list of "Secrets Stairs of LA".  The night before we read up on the different locations and decided on the "Beachwood Canyon Stairs".  It is listed as 2.6 miles long, 861 steps, and would take approximately 1 hour.

 "This is a vigorous hike through Hollywood history, utilizing some of the steepest and most charming staircases in the city, and affording breathtaking views from Downtown to the sea."

We found a perfect parking spot right next to a cafe.  It would come in handy when we finished and wanted lunch.

The entrance to Hollywoodland.  There was a second arch on the other side of the road.

Most of the stairs were made from granite back in the late 1920's.  We could tell that not too many people opted for this adventure.  The stairs were in good repair, but there was leaves and overgrowth everywhere.  

First set of stairs.  This is when we realized we left our sodas back at the room.

Don't be fooled.  Not all the stairs were this wide, but most of them were this steep...or steeper.

Much more narrow.

There was hardly anyone around.  The few people we did see were either locals coming and going from home, or construction workers.  We did meet one creepy little guy.

The gnome there on the right..ya, he was creepy.

There were railings at each set of stairs, which was nice, because this set had a single unbroken run of 84 stairs.  Even with all of our exercise, that was a lot of stairs with no flat landing in the middle.

Lots of leaves, overgrowth, and uninterrupted stairs.

Even with permission to have shenanigans, we followed the rules.  In our stair guide it said, "Land panting at the top on Hollyridge Drive..." and that's exactly what we did.  This is where we took our first break.  I was reminded that I had been "So excited about the stairs" and we both laughed.  However, this break allowed us to view a fake castle wall.

There was no mote, California is in a drought after all.

As I stated, there was hardly anyone around.  For someone who isn't overly fond of crowds, it made the experience that much better.  Not only were we not getting trampled or bumped, we had unimpeded views.

What trip is complete without a picture of this?

It was at this point that we discovered the battery in Jenna's camera was dead.  She had fully charged it a couple days prior, but there was nothing.  Thank heavens for smart phones. 

As we continued we came across the first set of stairs that went down.  Yes, I realize that technically ALL stairs can go either up or down, but we were following the rules, remember?

This set of stairs was also the newest.  It was made from concrete instead of granite.

About this time I was beginning to not feel quite right.  Jenna had been doing a good job of watching my dexcom, and I had been hovering in a good range even with all the stairs, heat, and humidity.  However, I knew that I was dropping.  So we stopped and took another break and had a handful of skittles.  We BOTH had a handful of Skittles.  She figured that if she was going to be me for the day, she was going to be as me as she possibly could...anything I ate, she also ate.  

Directly across from where we were sitting on the curb was this mural of Prince Valiant.

Prince Valiant

And directly at my feet was this unused (thankfully) poop bag.

I bet this isn't on the normal Hollywood Sign tour.

Fifteen minutes later, and I was ready to start climbing again.

Our next stair case was the Granddaddy of the Beachwood stairs.  Originally built in 1928, it was declared an historical-cultural monument in 1991.

The center section, when originally built, was a stream.  Now it is planter boxes and resting benches.

As we climbed, there were doors on both sides that led to backyards.  One door in particular really stood out.  The colour was very familiar.

Ah yes.. the colour matched our toes.

I'm not sure what we would have said if someone had walked out that door at that moment.  I know this, I'd still be laughing.

No good map following is complete without bad directions and getting lost.  We had that too.  One part says to go around a couple bends and there would be two white stakes marking the next set of stairs.  We followed around a couple of bends but didn't see any white stakes.  I knew we were missing something when I saw this sign.

I wonder if I could post this at work.

In the map guide, this sign came AFTER the white stakes and lots of stairs.  So we back tracked.  We  found the white stakes...or should I say stake.  It wasn't after a couple of bends, it was across the road.  That's okay, I was really excited about the stairs, remember?

This set of stairs was the least steep and best hidden.  Even if it weren't for the white stakes hiding, the stairs themselves were so close to the houses that they were practically hiding themselves.

I almost felt like we were trespassing.

But remember I was so excited about the stairs.  Some could say that I was a bit TOO excited about those stairs that I was seeing things, like a pink elephant with painted toe nails.  Honest!  Our water bottles only had water in them.  

Pink elephant with painted toe nails.

Back on the proper path we got to the top of the neighborhood.  From this vantage point we had a spectacular view of down town.  The smog was even coorperating.

Not too bad, if I do say so myself.

We had many opportunities to get pictures of the Hollywood sign.  I won't share them all here (there are already a lot of pictures), but we did need proof that we were actually there.

This was when we were almost out of water.  We planned on the hike taking an hour, and it was over two before we finished.  Our water bottles were running dry.  We thought about talking to the construction workers and asking for a fill up.  There was even a guy that drove in to a driveway with a bag of ice in the bed of his truck.  When we saw him lift the case of beer out of the bed as well, we figured they probably wouldn't be willing to share the ice.  In the end, thievery was the solution.  We found a garden hose out front of a house that actually had water to it (the first one we found wouldn't work at all).  A quick glance around and talking in hushed tones, we filled out bottles.  Shenanigans.

We came across a HUGE castle like wall.  Far up in a guard's hole there was a stone creature that looked like Yoda.  

This was HUGE!  The picture is cut off at the
bottom at about my shoulder level.

Guarded well, this castle wall was.

Many adventures, you will have.

Continuing on we were able to locate Lake Hollywood.  We could have trotted on down to the shore, but we settled on a picture from up top.

Who knew there was a lake?

A few more corners to turn and we came upon our final set of stairs.  It was bitter sweet.  Not only was the leg of our adventure complete, but we were going to be able to have lunch!

At the landing there was a surprise.
You'll have to stay tuned to see what it was.

 This concluded our adventures in stair climbing.  It took us two hours to complete the path.  Not bad considering we had to back track at least a half mile.  Jenna did a great job in keeping me alive and managing my diabetes, but it was only 2:30pm and we still had a lot to do.  She was truly earning her "Type Awesome" title.

Month 8 of Competition

UPDATE:  My brother-in-law has done a LOT of improving since my last post.  His accident was 46 days ago.  He talked the first time around August 22nd and has now begun to speak in complete sentences.  He basically knows everyone.  He does sit up and get out of his room during the day, but walking is still a long ways off.  Please continue to pray for him and his wife.   

 

http://www.gofundme.com/chrischristensen



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Another month of competition is in the books, and it was a good one.  Not only did I have the largest total so far for the year but....

I WON!!

Yup, victory was mine.  Thanks to a head cold (she is doing much better now) I was able to pull ahead and maintain my lead.  She did end up with a higher month end total that me, but the winner is the one who reaches the monthly goal first.

 August (goal of 60 miles):

Miles walked: 43.41

Minutes exercised: 1310 = 43.67 miles

Water intake 28/31 days = 6.25 miles

TOTAL: 93.33 miles

 

I was skeptical there for a little while as my foot was really beginning to pain me.  No, not the foot that had surgery in May, the other one.  The mornings were the worst.  I would wake up and sit on the edge of the bed and contemplate if I wanted to crawl to the bathroom or brave taking a step.  I knew that once I got going it would at least slightly improve, but the pain was excruciating.  I do my daily walks at 5am and it would take until about a half to three-quarters of a mile before the pain would mostly subside.  If you used the pain scale (10 is kill me now and 0 is pain free), the first step would be at about an 8-9 and by the time I completed the first mile I would be down to about a 4.  It would never get any better than that.  There are days that I really wish I could get new feet! 

 

I am a stubborn one and I figured I could just gut my way through this.  It would improve, right?  I felt like I was just being a wimp.  The thought of "what if it DOESN'T improve and you have to have surgery on it too?" crossed my mind quite often.  After that, and much pressure from loved ones, I made an appointment with my foot doctor.

 

I have seen Dr. Foot more in the last 6 months that I have my endo.  After some poking (why do they always find the most painful spot?) and stretching it was determined that plantar fasciitis was the culprit.  A cortisone shot and tape and I was good to go.  I had to take it easy for a day, preferably two (read: no 2 mile walks), but that it should get back to normal pretty quick.

 

It did.  The first step morning pain was gone and my walk pace had picked back up.  A week later I went back for the follow-up.  I got fresh tape and instructions to remove the tape in 3 days.  If my foot didn't continue to improve, or if the pain came back, I was to call them immediately.  Dr. Foot said that if it wasn't better we were not going to wait as long with this foot as we did on the previous one. 

 

Thankfully, it is basically back to normal.  No pain in the morning, and only a little soreness after my walks.  I call that success!

 

September's exercise goal is also 60 miles.  We were both so close to having a perfect water intake month in August.  September we will be perfect!  So far it means that we've had to watch the clock more closely and even skipped a nap or two, but we'll make it. 

 

September is also my birthday month. 

 

She won her birthday month, I'm doing my darndest to win mine.

 

Wish me luck!!

Adventures in foot surgery

It's been 39 days since I had my foot surgery.  It's time to write the update.

I am not a fan of surgery, but sometimes that is what it takes to fix an issue.  For me, it has been nearly a year since I first started having foot pains I couldn't alleviate.  I tried the exercises.  I tried the cortisone.  I tried ignoring it (that never works by the way).  I even tried a smaller, more confined surgery.  No matter what I tried, it wouldn't go away.

Almost a year.

I couldn't believe it myself, so I went back through my blog posts.  The first post I mentioned my heel pain was July 17, 2014.  In August I had a small surgery to hopefully fix the problem.  It did OK, but was never fully fixed.  I figured it was about 70-80% fixed.  Dr. Foot was wanting 100% and wasn't impressed that we didn't get that. 

I figured I could deal with it.  The random stabbing pains had decreased.  I'm a tough girl and don't complain too much about being uncomfortable.  I really didn't want another surgery.

However, the pains continued and even got worse.  I began to lose track of how often I would get those random stabbing pains.  The first 20-30 steps every morning were excruciating.  I'm sure I looked like I was walking on a floor of nails, because that's what it felt like.  The first steps I took after sitting for any length of time felt just as bad.  My Wednesday morning yoga class was something I looked forward to, but also dreaded because I knew the pain in my foot would effect the quality of my poses.  I kept up with my daily walks because, contrary to logic, it felt better to be moving.

I went back to Dr. Foot a couple times.  He poked (how do they ALWAYS know right where to poke to make it hurt the worst?) and wasn't happy with what he was seeing.  He said I had tarsal tunnel.  The nerve had gotten fat and was trying to go through a slot that was no longer big enough for it.  He said it was like trying to put on a pair of jeans from high school.  It could be done, but it would hurt. 

The final straw was when he did an ultra sound of the bottom of my foot to see what the plantar fascia looked like.  Yup.  I had a really good (or bad, depending on your perspective) case of plantar fasciitis to add to my tarsal tunnel.  My fascia was swollen to 7mm.  That may not sound like much, but then consider that the barrel of a standard ballpoint pen is 8mm in diameter. 

Surgery was done May 14th to release both the nerve and the plantar fascia.  It was an uneventful day and the surgery went well.  Even though I had a later in the day surgery time (1:30pm!!) I survived.  I may have been a bit ornery about being hungry, but my blood sugars played nice.  I ran higher most of the morning (190-200) and didn't drop down into the low 100's until I was be wheeled back for surgery.

I did have a minor set back with an infection that set in at week 3.  An internal dissolving stitch didn't dissolve (there is always at least one that doesn't dissolve for me) and it began it irritate.  It festered and infected the lower part of the incision.  I was given a shot of antibiotics in the backside, a prescription for more antibiotics, and instructions to soak it twice a day.  It took the full 10 days, but the infection, redness, and draining went away.

The random stabbing pains are completely gone. *happy dance*  The excruciating pain with the first 20-30 steps in the morning has decreased to uncomfortable pain for the first 10-15 steps, and keeps improving.  It feels like I'm walking on a wad of sock that has been folded up under my foot, but I have been assured that that feeling will go away.  It is the longest part to heal and will take a couple months.

After all of this I feel confident in saying..

SUCCESS!!

It's been a process to get here.  I've done a few walks to try and recondition myself so I'll be ready for the competition once July starts.  I'm quite a bit slower and am more tired at the end.  I'll get there though.  In that fact, I have full confidence... and determination.

Diabetes Blog Week Day 4 - Changes

"Today let's talk about changes, in one of two ways.  Either tell us what you'd most like to se change about diabetes, in ay way.  This can be management tools, devices, medications, people's perceptions, your own feelings - anything at all that you feel could use changing. ..."

I'll be the first to tell you that I'm not a huge fan of change.  In fact, I don't even rearrange my living room.  Having somethings the same as they always have is a sense of comfort to me.

That being said, there is one change related to my diabetes that would have given me a sense of comfort a whole lot sooner.

Better screening, testing, and diagnosing.

When I went into the doctor that Friday morning in 2004 with unexplained weight loss of 50lbs, she said it was probably thyroid but that we'd run some blood tests to see.  They called me that afternoon and said I had to go back in that day.  My blood sugar was 511 and my A1C was 11.2.  I was given a prescription for metformin, an appointment to meet with a dietitian on Monday, and a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes.

It took me 6 years and two doctor switches to get that corrected.

At the doctor's office that finally corrected my type, they ordered a c-peptide test and an anti-body test.  My c-peptide test came back showing I had "less that 0.01% insulin production".  In other words.. nothing, nada, zip, zilch.

The change I would like to see is better understanding of diagnosing the different types of diabetes by physicians.  Don't assume because of some one's age (I was two days shy of 29) that they are automatically one type or the other.

I know that these tests aren't cheap.  Trust me, I saw the insurance claim.  But I also know that the amount of heartache and beating myself up because I couldn't do it right, isn't cheap either.

One test that IS cheap is a simple glucose finger stick or urine test.

How many stories have we heard of children being sent home with antibiotics because of some illness when it turns out to actually be diabetes?  Way too many!

Better screening, testing, and diagnosing.

THAT is a change I could live with.

Diabetes Blog Week day 3 - Clean it Out

"Yesterday we kept stuff in, so today let's clear stuff out.  What is in your diabetic closet that needs to be cleaned out?  This can be an actual physical belonging, or it can be something you're mentally or emotionally  hanging on to.  Why are you keeping it and why do you need to get rid of it?"

This is the clean shelf of my dia-stuff.  All of it in expiration date order.

It's true.  I keep stuff that doesn't necessarily need to be kept.

• I still have the meter case that came with my meter, but I use a small makeup bag instead. 
• I still have the belt case that came with my first Dexcom G4, but I started using a TallyGear case almost right away.
• I still have the Dexcom transmitters that have dead batteries.
• I still have the complete box my first pump came in, but I've received a new pump since then.

This doesn't only apply to diabetes supplies.

• I still have all the glasses and their cases my daughter got as she was growing up.  There are 4 pair in the bottom drawer of my bathroom.
• I still have the shoe boxes from the last 4 pair of shoes I bought.
• I still have the cookie tin from a box of cookies I received at Christmas time.

I don't really need to keep all of these things.  Some are useful for other things though.  The cookie tine is a rather nice rectangular red metal box.  I used it this weekend to hold my clothespins while I washed their normal container.  The belt case for my Dexcom G4 is nice as a backup for when I wash the TallyGear case.  For the most part though, this stuff is unnecessary.

The problem is, I can't get rid of it.

The meter case is a perfect example.  It is designed especially for my meter.  It has a nice plastic holder in it and an elastic slip to hold a test strip bottle.  I can't use it for anything else, but here's the problem - it came with  my meter.  I still use my meter.  I can't get rid of the case.

The same goes for dresses, books, pajamas, or anything that comes together.  I have a mental block about separating them.  It doesn't matter that I don't wear half of the pajamas because they don't fit, I can't get rid of it until I get rid of the half that does fit.  Does that make sense?

The Dexcom transmitters are a different story.  I know they don't work.  I know I could never use them again (no matter how much weight I lose).  I still keep them.  There is a mental block against just throwing something away that cost so much.  I just can't do it. 

What do YOU do with your old transmitters?

Diabetes Blog Week Day 2 - Keep it to Yourself

"Many of us share lots of aspects of our diabetes lives online for the world to see.  What are some of the aspects of diabetes that you choose to keep private from the internet?  Or from your family and friends?  Why is it important to keep it to yourself?"

Yes, I know.  A blog post to talk about what I won't talk about sounds very.. oxymoronic.  However, I think it is a great idea. 

Think about it.

You have something weird going on with your diabetes (or whatever) and you turn to the internet to see if anyone else is having that same weirdness.  You find nothing.  Nada.  Zip.  Zilch.  That is almost more destructive than finding wrong information.  Almost.  I know for me it weighs heavily on me mentally and emotionally.  I start to think, "If no one else is experiencing this, then I must be REALLY REALLY bad and am going to die."  Or, "I'm making this up, and I'm turning into a hypochondriac."  Then you get into the downward mental spiral and end up in the corner curled in a ball sucking your thumb.

See?  Very destructive.

However, if I were to come across a blog post (or 90) that said.  "I won't talk about THIS thing, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen, just that I'm not sharing the details."  I would go, "Whew!!  I'm not crazy!  There are other people that are experiencing this."  The power of "ME TOO" strikes, and comforts, again.

There are times and places where the unmentionable topics are safe to talk about.  A place where you know there will be no judging, no snickering, no "ya whatever"-ing.  It may be at your doctor, in your living room with family, in your closet with your spouse, or at a conference with other PWD's that is designed to be a safe place.  (I'm talking about you, Diabetes UnConference). 

It's at places like that where I will talk about the untalkable topics.

Diabetes effects absolutely every area of life.  Every area.  Not just my health in relation to my food but everything.  My stomach health, my gastro-intestinal health, my internal organ health, my social health, my mental health, my sex health, my humor health, my structural (bone) health, etc. 

Someone wanted to ask me a diabetes related question the other day and prefaced it with, "If this is too personal and you don't want to answer, I totally understand, but I'm curious."  My reply to them was, "I will answer 99% of the questions you have.  I'd rather you ask, than not ask and be mis-informed." 

The same goes for here. 

I will talk about 99% of diabetes related things.  The other 1% I will leave for a more appropriate, and safe, setting for good discussions.

I can...

"In the UK, there was a diabetes blog theme of "I Can..." that participants found wonderfully empowering.  So lets kick things off this year by looking at the positive side of our lives with diabetes.  What have you or your loved one accomplished, despite having diab3etes, that you weren't sure you could? Or what have you done that you've been particularly proud of?  Or what good thing has diabetes brought into your life?"

Diabetes has done a lot in my life.  The changes that I have gone through, not only in my own health, but in my house as well, have been both good and bad.  I've cleaned, and lost, closet space.  I've watched my food intake more, and also threw it out the window. 

The one thing that I am particularly proud of is my exercise competition with my best friend this year.  I've surprised myself with being able to surpass my goal every month!  One month I even completed double what my goal was! 

It hasn't been without it's bummers, let me assure you.  This month, for example, I did not win.  My best friend beat me by a few hours.  FEW HOURS!!  I was 1.03 mile short of the goal, when she texted me at 6:50 this morning with her completion of the month's goal.  (I'll expand more on this at the end of the month when I have my complete figures).

However, the fact that I'm able to reach my goal, without significant lows and even plowing through a few highs, tells me that I can do anything I set my mind to. 

I can push myself and not let Diabetes get in the way. 

I can compete against a "healthy' person, on the same level and truly be a challenging competitor.

I can

I will

and

I DO!!

My UnConference Experience

I want to start my saying THANK YOU to Christel for having a vision and a dream and making it real.  I want to say THANK YOU to the UnConference Collective for supporting that dream, adding their own touch to it, and making it a reality. 


Trying to put into words what the Diabetes UnConference meant to me is difficult.  If I could use my hands in a blog post, not only would they be waving all over the place, but they would clap twice, and hug everyone.

Ever since I started on Twitter and dipped my toe into the world of the DOC (Diabetes Online Community) I have heard about diabetes conferences.  The blog posts and twitter posts made me wish I could attend each and every conference.  I wanted to be able to experience that level of "ME TOO" that is so powerful.  Unfortunately, travel is not always in my budget, or my health (have I said I HATE flying?).  So I would read the posts and wish.

My wish came true.

Last year sometime, it was announced that the First Ever Diabetes UnConference would be held in Las Vegas.  LAS VEGAS!!  That is an easy driving distance for me.  I could actually go.  I COULD GO!  Let the planning commence! 

Plans were made and money was saved.  I was going to a Diabetes Conference... and I was nervous as all everything. 

You see, in my ten and a half years of being blessed with this disease, I had been judged and pitied, looked at with weird looks, asked "why can't you do that in the bathroom", been told of every cure, and that I just wasn't smart enough to listen.  Yes.. I was actually told that I didn't have the intelligence to know better.  Talk about a verbal slap across the face.. with a cast iron skillet.

I knew that I wouldn't experience any of that at the UnConference.  I knew that everyone attending understood how much a pain this is, how exhausting it can be, and how no matter how hard we try some days diabetes wins.  I knew that I would come away feeling better and stronger.  What I didn't know was how much I would love everyone I met.

From the moment of my first hug from Bea when I picked her up at the airport, I knew my d-family had grown.  I was adding members to my all important d-family faster than I could remember everyone's names.  There were a few people I had met in real life before, but everyone else I just knew from online.  Thank goodness we all had name tags. 

I learned so much, and yet nothing was new.  I learned that I wasn't alone and never would be.  I learned that some four letter words are standard descriptions for diabetes, and it's okay to shout them as loud as possible.  I learned that we all have little tricks and tips that may or may not work for everyone, after all your diabetes may vary (I owe you a quarter, Bennet).  I learned that the fears I had, others had had too.  I learned that we would be okay.. together.  I knew all this, but hearing someone else say ME TOO, made it that more valid and real to me.

I know that diabetes makes us stronger, not just emotionally and mentally, but physically as well.  I am truly convinced that broken pancreases make arms stronger.  I have never had so many tight, comforting, and totally awesome hugs as I did there.  (Hold on, some #VegasDust just blew in.)

I can honestly say that at all times I felt Welcomed, I felt Valued, and I felt Respected. 

AT. ALL. TIMES.

I will never forget my first ever diabetes conference and I can hardly wait for the next one.

An invisably rough evening

(I wish I would have been able to take a picture or two.  By the time I thought about it, and had the opportunity, the moment had passed.  You'll have to use your imagination.)

Last week I was at a church committee meeting.  The meeting was very productive albeit a bit long; I was there for over three hours.  Earlier in the day my husband and I had gone out to lunch.  We don't normally have the opportunity, but being Veteran's Day we both had the day off.  The lunch was wonderful (and the company even better).  I wasn't sure how my blood sugars were going to react to the difference in schedule and menu.  I bolused the best I could, but sometimes you just have to guess.

About half way into the meeting I started feeling.. weird.  It felt like a low was coming on.  I kept checking my CGM to see how I was trending.  Everything there looked good.  I was hovering right around 120.  I checked my blood sugars to confirm, and the difference was only a few points off.  I then checked my pump to see how much IOB (insulin on board) I had.  That's when things got more complicated.  I don't remember how much was on board, but I do remember it was a LOT more than I was hoping would be.  I reduced my basal for the next hour and munched on 4 Starbursts.  (One of each flavour.  I have to keep the package balanced.)  I kept checking my CGM about every 15 minutes to see if I had over corrected or started to drop.  No change.  I still hovered around 120.

At the point when my basal reduction ended I checked my blood sugars again.  It still confirmed that my CGM was being super accurate.  I also still had quite a bit of IOB.  Another temp basal and four more Starbursts and I kept watching my CGM.

The meeting wrapped up and everyone was leaving.  I had a little more business to take care of so I hung around.  I was listening in on a discussion but checked my CGM a couple times.  That's when it happened.

No, my CGM didn't show a drastic change.  It was still showing a near perfect flat white line.  One of the gentleman tapped me and quietly asked if I was okay.  I assured him that I was okay, that it was just a rough evening.

Just a rough evening. 

There was no proof of it being rough, unless you counted test strips and Starbursts wrappers.  If you looked at my meter and my CGM graph you would have seen a near perfect 4+ hours.  I had nothing to prove to anyone that it had been a rough time. 

Nothing.

Yet, I was tired and worn out from it. 

Diabetes is an invisible disease.  People can't see it.  They can see evidence of it, sometimes.  They see the insulin pump clipped to your belt or the CGM sensor on the back of your arm.  They see you pull your meter out at the lunch table.  They see all the technology but they don't see diabetes.

And sometimes, even that same technology doesn't see diabetes.

It may be invisible but I sure feel it.

Endo Day and Really Trying

Today was the day.  My quarterly visit with my endo.

I was looking forward to it less than usual.  Don't get me wrong... I LOVE my endo.  Ever since I started seeing her instead of previous doctors, I feel the management of my diabetes is doing much better, but I wasn't looking forward to it today.

I was less than enthusiastic because I knew my A1C would be higher. 

I know the A1C is just a number, and that it doesn't always reflect the entire story behind the last three months.  That simple number didn't reflect:

• My daughter's surgery and subsequent healing.  (Mom's worry it is that simple.)
• The pain I'd been dealing with in my heel.
• The ridiculousness that is called "cortisone".
• The surgery and healing of previously mentioned heel.
• The lack of my (usually) daily walks.
• The mental lashing I've given myself lately.

As I guessed, it was higher.  Higher by .5.  Not as much as I was expecting, but still I wasn't pleased.  For me, getting my A1C to where I like to see it is harder and harder to do the closer I get to that goal.  Does that make sense? 

Days like today, knowing that I had gone in the opposite direction I wanted to, make me even more thankful for my endo.  She never expresses any type of judgment.  She encourages involvement with treatment decisions.  And, whether she realizes it or not, she is a huge boost to my emotional state when it comes to dealing with my diabetes.

With everything that has been going on lately, and the fact that my bgs are running higher than I like them to, I was wondering if I had given up a little.  I thought to myself, "Am I doing enough, or am I just going through the motions?  What will my doctor say?  Will she mark me 'non-compliant'?"  I know I hadn't given up because otherwise I wouldn't have cared if I cared or not.  Today, one small sentence from my endo, eased my mind completely.  "When I see someone who is checking their blood sugars an average of 7 times a day, I know they're really trying."

Really trying. 

I am really trying.  I am really trying to keep my blood sugars in range.  I'm really trying to have more steady lines on my CGM and less roller coaster blue prints.  I'm really trying to lose that weight that has snuck on over the last few months.  I'm really trying to do better with portion control and not do so much 'emotional eating'.  I'm really trying to not let my blood sugars dictate my mood.  I am really trying to keep it together on days when it feels like the slightest tremor will make it all fall apart. 

I AM REALLY TRYING.  Thank you Dr. Endo for recognizing that.  It means more than you know.

Observing at it's most unique

In my last post I talked about issues I was having with my heel.  The original plan was to give it a month and see how it did.  If the pain increased before the month was up, I was to go back in.

That weekend we moved our daughter back to college for her sophomore year.  Thankfully, her apartment is on the ground floor, so there were no stairs to climb.  This benefitted not only me, but her as well.  She had foot/leg surgery over the summer and is still healing.  If either of us would have had to climb stairs it would have been a painful and comedic event.

By Monday morning I had given up on counting how many sharp stabbing pains I had had.  By noon on Sunday alone, there had been more than 10.  Monday afternoon I called my foot doctor. 

Wednesday morning was my appointment.  It was agreed that we needed to surgically fix my foot.  The problem was getting worse and we didn't want the nerve to sustain permanent damage, if it hadn't already.  Surgery was set for the following Thursday, the 28th.  I could survive one more week, right?  I was keeping my fingers crossed.

I've always said that if there was a positive to having diabetes it is that any surgeries are usually scheduled for the first of the day.  This one was at 11:30am.  I know that isn't first on the list, but the fact that it was going to be done with just a local anesthetic, I didn't need to alter my eating and starve after midnight.  I also was allowed to watch and take pictures.  (Don't worry.  I won't post any during surgery pictures.)

I know that not too many people would want to watch a surgery, let alone one being done on them, but I was looking forward to it.  I grew up hearing surgery stories told at the dinner table, so this was not going to be a problem for me at all.  The one fear I had was that he would get in there, and realize more needed to be done that couldn't be done with just a local.  Thankfully, the surgery was complication free.  In fact, my doctor even said he saw exactly what he expected to see.  That was very comforting to me.  I wasn't glad that I had to have the surgery, but I was really glad that there weren't any other problems.

I enjoyed watching and talking with my doctor during my foot surgery.  I did not get too many pictures, as the surgery was only about 15 minutes long, from start to finish.  The hardest part I had about watching, was keeping my leg relaxed.  My heel was numb, so that wasn't a problem, but I was afraid that I would tense my leg so much by trying to hold it still that it would twitch.  No such problem though.  No twitch, no error, and again no complication.

It has now been a week and a half since my nerve was given more room.  The sharp stabbing pains vanished that day, so did the bruised heel feeling.  I have been able to walk since that afternoon, but not well enough to go on my daily walks in the morning.  I am looking very much forward to Dr. Foot giving me the green light for those walks, and a normal shoe.  Post surgical shoes are just not that cute. 

Not a first I wanted

Last month I blogged about a pain in the heel I had been dealing with.  I thought it was plantar fasciitis setting in again.  That was something that I had dealt with before and knew what to expect.  I didn't like it, but at least I knew I would heal.

However, it is not plantar fasciitis. 

My first appointment with my foot doctor he injected a numbing solution as a diagnostic.  If my random sharp stabbing pains and constant tenderness eased, then it would confirm his suspicion. 

It did.. and didn't.  The stabbing pains stopped, but the tenderness didn't.  It also felt REALLY WEIRD to be walking around with a completely numb stripe across the bottom of your heel. 

One week later, I went back to Dr. Foot and his suspicion was confirmed.  I have "Medial Calcaneal Nerve Entrapment".  So we tried the next step.  A small solution of cortisone.  He assured me that the entire injection was only about 30% cortisone (it was about 1ml worth in the entire injection) and to watch my blood sugars, but he hoped that with the smaller concentration that I wouldn't stay in the 200's for very long

Now, I don't like cortisone.  Even before I was diagnosed with diabetes, I didn't like cortisone.  Years ago I received an injection in my hip to help with my bursitis.  It wore off in two days.  Since then I have never really needed any more, but if it was every mentioned (like with my pain in my lower back ) I would request other options.  I knew that cortisone will raise blood sugars, but I never knew how bad it would effect me.

Holy cow!!!  The next day my blood sugars were in need of an oxygen mask they were so high.  I increased my basal by 50% (hindsight tells me I should have done more) and was adding a few units to each meal, as well as eating less.  I still ran in the upper 300's to low 400's.  I was miserable.  Thankfully, the cortisone did exactly what it did the previous time I had it.  It wore off in two days.  I can almost tell you the exact hour because of what my blood sugars did.  I had finally been able to get them in the 200's and then all of a sudden, the next thing I knew my CGM was yelling at me that I was low.  I checked with my meter, and yup... 49.  I ate (read: inhaled) food and sat and waited.  While waiting, I had a sharp stabbing pain in my heel.  The tenderness, which had never really gone away, was a lot more noticeable too.  Have you ever been running barefoot and hit a rock with your heel?  The tenderness you have in your heel for the next couple days is what mine felt like.

It's been two weeks since that injection.  I still get the random stabbing, but they have decreased to maybe 2-3 a day instead of 5-6 and they are much less intense.  The tenderness is still there but not quite as pronounced.  I visited with Dr. Foot yesterday and we decided to watch it and see if it continues to improve.  I really don't want to have foot surgery (again) but know that if I don't see marked improvement I will have to.  The longer I wait, the more likely the nerve could "give up" (Dr. Foot's words), stop working, and die.  I don't want a dead nerve anywhere, especially in my feet.  I asked him what I did to have caused this.  Was it because I was walking more?  Could a pair of shoes be irritating it?  Maybe there is a voodoo doll somewhere and a small child is chewing on its foot. 

He smiled at me, that crooked smile that says so much more than any words ever spoken, and said, "In people with diabetes the nerves can build up sugar alcohols, like sorbitol, and become swollen."  I held it together and listened closely.  I asked if there was anything I could do to assist the swelling in going down.  I knew ice wouldn't do it as it wasn't "normal" swelling.  To boil it down, there really isn't anything I can DO to make it better faster, or at all.  The fact that it isn't as painful now as it was two weeks ago is GREAT news and shows that healing is taking place.  We wait and we watch. 

In the next little while, about a month at the most, if I don't see any more improvement, or if it worsens again, then we will discuss the surgical option.  It's a simple and highly successful procedure.  Just a couple little cuts that give that nerve more room to maneuver.  I don't like the idea of surgery, but I don't like the idea of a dead nerve even more.